Doctors have been trying for more than 200 years to find out what causes pain without ever learning what pain is. Injury causes pain but what is the cause of pain when there has been no injury? Pain may continue long after an injury takes place. Why does it still hurt? What is pain? How does the body heal pain? Every cell is a tiny chemical/electric generator connected electrically to other cells. The sensation of touch occurs when cells are pushed closer together. This decreases the electrical resistance between cells. Decreasing the electrical resistance increases the flow of electricity to the brain. The increased flow of electricity is interpreted as touch.
A hit to the body sends a quick burst of electricity to the brain. This quick burst is interpreted by the brain as pain. If pain continues after the blow, it is because tissue has been damaged and electrical connections between cells have been broken. The brain senses the injury because of a signal from the damaged tissue to the brain. A pain signal, however, is not the pain! Pain is broken or suppressed electrical connections between cells in the injured tissue. Degenerative diseases, dehydration, infection, ulcers, tumors, spontaneous fractures, allergies, lack of minerals, etc. may also cause the electrical circuits to fail, even without injury. Whether it is the breaking of the electrical circuits from an injury or the failure of electrical signals for other reasons, the signal to the brain is the same. They are all interpreted as pain.
Pain is healed when the body reconnects the broken circuits. Suppressing the pain signal with medication is treating the symptom, not the cause. The medication does nothing for the broken circuits that cause the pain.
A part of the body that hurts always has more electrical resistance. The electrical connections between cells are suppressed. The restoration of the flow of electricity through the painful area will relieve the pain often immediately.
Several approaches to the control of pain are known. The Chinese use acupuncture that entails placing needles on specific areas of the body. Traditional medicine uses palliative therapies such as heat and cold, analgesics, narcotics, and surgery to combat pain. Pain medications only mask symptoms, suppress vital functions, or cause gastrointestinal bleeding. Hypnotism and other psychological methods are also employed in pain treatment.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,283 to Flick issued Dec. 20, 1994 is illustrative of the use of the external application of the electrical current to treat pain. The patent has an electrical pulse producing device coupled to a nylon wrap coated with silver which acts as a conductor for external current. A second electrode is placed on the skin and the current passes between the wrap and the second electrode. The method described in the Flick patent requires the use of external electric current. The use of external electrical current is not contemplated by the instantly claimed method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,874 to D' Alerta issued Jun. 13, 1995 is drawn to an electronic patch device for preventing nerves from transmitting "pain" information to the brain. It is composed of a circuit layer that supports an electronic circuit, a double sided adhesive layer, a top layer that seals the circuit layer from moisture and a backing layer. A cathode and an anode are disposed in apertures of the adhesive layer and make electrical contact with respective pins of the electronic circuit in the circuit layer. On opposite surfaces the cathode and anode are exposed to make contact with the skin of a patient when the backing layer is removed. Again this device depends on external currents for pain suppression.
U.S. Pat. No. 683,098 to L. Baecker issued Sep. 24, 1901 is drawn to a cloth with zinc and copper interwoven. The zinc and copper produce electrical current when warmed by the temperature of the body. The patent does not suggest that the cloth will treat pain.
U.S. Pat. No. 526,182 to F. Fritsche issued on Sep. 18, 1894 is drawn to a galvanic chain composed of two separate chains one being copper and the other being zinc, which is designed to be worn around the neck. The chains are connected by threads of wool. When the wool absorbs moisture from the body, it purportedly acts as an electrolyte between the two metals by that causing a current to flow. This current flow is claimed as a remedy for various ailments including pain. Obviously this patent does not suggest the instantly claimed method of treating pain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,877 to Kempe issued May 2, 1989. This patent is drawn to an application of cloth containing stainless steel fibers to painful muscles. The patent teaches that the relief is obtained by shielding the painful muscles from radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,473 to Kempe issued Mar. 31, 1987. This patent is drawn to the application of a cloth containing stainless steel fibers to stumps of amputees to shield the stumps from radiation and therefore preventing phantom pain.
The Kemper patents do not use or suggest a flexible electrically conductive tape which adheres to the skin for the treatment of pain.